It is quite common to live and be surrounded by people throughout your lifetime. People that you could have a conversation with, chat with, and have a social life with. Most people around the world either live with family or friends. In some cultures, people live as an extended family, which is part of their culture. Scientific research says its basic human instincts to have interactions with other humans. However, this does not apply to every single person. Others live very; differently, young Swedes, for instance, prefer to live alone. This is partly contributed to by their culture. However, is leaving home at a young age have a dark side?
Solo Young Swedes
Ida Staberg is a young Swede aged 21- years old. She lives alone in a studio apartment in Vallingby and moved here since she was 19 years old and since then she has been living here. Ida had always wanted to move out of home, and she always felt ready. She was excited about moving out; she saw it as something enjoyable. Ida also has friends who live alone or who did not wait long until they moved out of their homes.
The average age Swedes move out is 18 – 19 years old. The EU average is 26. Rent controls and free education help many to afford the cost, but the norm persists despite a housing shortage. This norm led to a pricey subletting market in bigger cities.
Is Leaving Alone at A Young Age Has A Dark Side?
“At first, it was nice, but after a few weeks or months, I started to feel lonely,” Ida Staberg said.
It was then easy to start having a bad image of herself or destructive thoughts. It is then followed by a burden of making a living for myself. She had to look for a means of earning money to cater for her bills; this can be a stressful process for young people. Mental health charity Mind helps young people living alone. Swedes have a tradition, and their society is built on certain values. Values such as we should all manage ourselves; we should not depend on each other as much as in other countries.
For a young person, it is, of course, wonderful to feel independent and be able to take care of yourself, but for some, they are not ready for it. Loneliness in young people is much higher than expected. One tends to think that older people are much more alone than the younger ones. However, it is relatively high among young people as well. Over half of all homes in Sweden have just one occupant. Unlike other countries sharing with friends is quite an uncommon thing.
Can Co-living be a Better Option for Young Swedes?
However, in Stockholm, there is a boom in co-living spaces. The apartments are designed to tackle loneliness and a housing shortage. This may be a great solution, especially for Swedes who are not outgoing as the rest of the world. Mitchelle Axelsson is a young co-live renter in Stockholm. She finds co-living as a creative way of meeting new people and spending your daily life with people, which makes you less lonely and happier. Renting one room costs around $850 per month, which also applies in the suburban areas.
Katrina Lijestam Beyer is a Co-founder of Colive. They aim to create a new form of living: co-living or shared flats. Co-living will be able to accommodate this age group and be more affordable and accessible for them to live. The long-term view that the foundation has is to open many houses around Sweden, especially in the larger cities and the student cities.
However, it is not clear if co-living will become mainstreamed as some lonely Swedes say they would still prefer to live alone. They say living alone comes with many privileges like deciding for yourself and taking charge of your own life.
“Even if it’s tough and hard at times and it feels lonely, I still think of it as something positive. I have personally learned so much both about myself, how I can take care of myself, and generally how life works,” says Ida Staberg.
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